Study: Women fare better in independent film

PARK CITY, Utah – Despite equal representation of male and female filmmakers at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a new study shows there has been little change in the number of women working as directors and producers at the independent-film showcase over the past decade.

But women still fare better behind the camera in independent film than in studio productions.

The Sundance Institute and Women in Film commissioned the study and announced the results Monday in Park City, Utah.

Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism examined gender disparity in narrative and documentary films shown at Sundance from 2002 to 2012. Women working in key creative positions, including writers, directors and producers, represent less than 30 percent of the filmmakers represented at Sundance over those 11 years.